At the end of the battle with Orthros,
{Mash} was thrown from the raft.
What lies along his way...?

What dire fate has befallen
{SABIN}, who fell from the raft
after the fight with Ultros?...

Unknown Overworld Area

Mash washes up by the ocean, some distance
east of Narshe, with mountains blocking passage west. There's a house nearby,
so he goes there. "Shadow" plays at the house, but only because
Shadow is standing nearby. Mash, who was absent from the previous meeting,
doesn't recognize him.

{ﾏｯｼｭ}「旅の者か？
仲間とはぐれてしまった。
ナルシェに行きたいのだが
どう行けばいいか知らないか？

{Mash}: You a traveler?
I got separated from my companions.
I want to get to Narshe. Do you
know which way I should go?

{SABIN}: You...on a journey?
I got separated from my friends. Say, can you tell me how to get to Narshe?

{Shadow}: Seems the Empire's set up
a base past the eastern forest.
{Mash}: The Empire!?
{Shadow}: I'm getting the impression
they're after Doma Castle.
{Mash}: Doma Castle...?
But I've got to hurry up
and get to Narshe.
{Shadow}: You can't get to Narshe from
here unless you pass through Doma.
I wouldn't mind guiding you.
On the condition that I can leave
any time if I change my mind.

{SHADOW}: Imperial soldiers have built a base somewhere beyond the forest.
{SABIN}: ...Already!?
{SHADOW}: They seem to have their sights set on Doma Castle.
{SABIN}: So Doma's next, huh?
I have to reach Narshe immediately!
{SHADOW}: Your only hope is through Doma.
I'll show you the way.
Just know that I may take off at any time, if I feel like it.

If Edgar and the others didn't approach
Shadow in South Figaro, he gets a generic name until his
mini-biography and naming appear immediately after this.
However, the NA version somehow manages to get two
slightly different conversations out of identical text.

Man: Seems the Empire's set up
a base past the eastern forest.
{Mash}: The Empire!?
Man: I'm getting the impression
they're after Doma Castle.
{Mash}: Doma Castle...?
But I've got to hurry up
and get to Narshe.
Man: You can't get to Narshe from
here unless you pass through Doma.
I wouldn't mind guiding you.
On the condition that I can leave
any time if I change my mind.

MAN: The Empire has set up a base somewhere
beyond the forest, and to the east.
{SABIN}: ...Empire!?
MAN: They seem to have their sights set on Doma Castle.
{SABIN}: Doma, huh?
I have to reach Narshe immediately!
MAN: Your only chance is through Doma.
I'll show you the way.
Just know that I may take off at any time, if I feel like it.

{ｼｬﾄﾞｳ}「俺はいつでも死神に
追われている。

{Shadow}: I'm constantly being
tailed by Death.

{SHADOW}: The Reaper is always just a step behind me...

Having Shadow join here is optional,
and he may leave the group early if he feels like it, though
never until after the Imperial Army Encampment. Even so,
it seems rather odd that Shadow, previously portrayed
as a merciless killer for hire, would freely help Mash,
but perhaps we shouldn't ask too many questions.

Regardless, Shadow fights well and
can throw nearly any weapon at enemies for substantial damage.
Special scrolls with magic-like effects and increasing access to
better weaponry as the game progresses only add to his options.
Additionally, his dog will sometimes intercept attacks meant for
him, preventing damage, and may also strike back. See the
character entry for Shadow for
details on Throw, Interceptor, and Shadow's odds of leaving.

A chocobo-riding merchant in green Imperial
armor appears here, so stock up on anything you need, like Shuriken
for Shadow to Throw.

Seriously, buy all the Shuriken you can.
Throw gets a damage bonus on top of ignoring defense and
evasion, and Shuriken not only have more power than anything
else available for a while, they also cost a fraction of what even
a lowly Dagger does.

There's also a crazy old man in the house
itself who seems to think Mash is a repairman, but while amusing,
he's unimportant for now. Still...

Note that
じじい (jijii) appears in a halfwidth font
in-game, like most names and titles when characters are
speaking, but no standard font contains halfwidth hiragana, so I
can't reproduce the effect here.

Geezer: Kid?
Oooh, I ain't got no kids!
Ahh, you're giving me the chills.
Don't talk about that stuff!
Go on, get out.
If you don't behave I'll toss you
out on the Beast Plain too!!
"???
This geezer's messed up..."

AGED MAN: Child...?
Ain't no child 'round here!
Bolderdash!
I'm ready for you to leave!
Go on, git! I'm tossin' ya out onta the Veldt!
???
I'd rather take a stick in the eye than deal with that guy again...

じじい「はて……？
だとすると…

Geezer: Oh...?
Then that means...

AGED MAN: Goodness!
Then you must be...

じじい「ベッドの修理屋か！？
ギシギシうるさくてかなわんぞい。

Geezer: The bed repairman!?
It's creaking like nobody's business!

AGED MAN: You're here to fix my bed! It's squeakin' like all git-out!

Coming back later will result in this line for
most party leaders other than Mash:

じじい「ドアの修理に来たか！？

Geezer: You came to fix the door!?

AGED MAN: You've come to fix the door!?

Apparently he expects everyone who
visits to be there to fix something, but for some reason Mash
seems to be special.

There's an interesting line around here in
the game data that isn't used:

そういえば…
こないだ南の獣ケ原へ行ったら
へんなガキを見かけたぞ。
あそこを通る時は注意せんとな。

Come to think of it...
I spotted some weird kid when I went to the
Beast Plain south of here the other day.
Gotta be on guard when you go through there.

Come to think of it...
I saw some total geek when I last went south, to the Veldt.
Watch yourselves in those parts!

帝国軍陣地
Imperial Army Encampment
IMPERIAL CAMP

There are sandbags, tents, equipment,
and lots of soldiers. 1-12 "Troops March On" plays
in the base.

Some of the events in the base may play
out slightly differently if Shadow is not present.

『これが帝国の陣地……。
かなり兵士が多いぞ…

"This is the Imperial base...
There's an awful lot of soldiers..."

This's an Imperial base.
Too many soldiers...

Mash's line is different if the party has never
met Shadow at all (not even in South Figaro, though it's unclear
why that encounter should matter).

{ﾏｯｼｭ}「な、なんだ……？？
帝国兵がたくさんいるぞ！？

{Mash}: Wh-what the...??
Tons of Imperial soldiers!?

{SABIN}: What the...?
Where'd these soldiers come from?

There's also an unused line around
here in the game data.

{ﾏｯｼｭ}「帝国相手じゃ
２人でも危険だぞ。

{Mash}: Taking on the Empire would
be risky even with the both of us.

{SABIN}: The going is bound to be...pretty rough...

Two soldiers patrolling nearby start
talking to each other.

兵士Ａ「おい、知ってるか？
兵士Ｂ「ああ、あの話か？
兵士Ａ「しーっ…。
声が大きいぞ。
ケフカにでも見つかったら大変だぞ。

Soldier A: Hey, did you know?
Soldier B: Yeah, that rumor?
Soldier A: Shhh...
Your voice is too loud. It would suck if
we got caught by someone like Cefca.

Soldier A: I hear that guy's plotting
to drive General Leo out of our army
and become our general himself.
Soldier B: You've gotta be kidding me.
If someone like THAT becomes general,
I'm leaving and won't take no for an answer.

SOLDIER A: If he drives General Leo out of our battalion,
he'll probably become the next general!
SOLDIER B: Don't make me laugh!
If someone like him becomes a general, I'll go home!

Cefca: Hey, you there!
You keeping a good watch, hm?
Soldier A: Yes, sir. What a surprise,
if it isn't Cefca-sama.
How are you feeling?
Cefca: Hmph.
I don't give a damn about your greetings!
Got it? If you're not keeping a proper
lookout I'll make sure you suffer for it!